In the United States and throughout the world, rodeos are becoming an increasingly popular form of entertainment. Of all the sporting events which typically take place at a rodeo, the most exciting are arguably the bull and/or bronco riding competitions. However, these particular events are also the most dangerous and pose the most serious risks to the rider in that the rider is extremely susceptible to being severely injured, particularly when in the process of or immediately after being thrown from the back of the bucking animal.
In most bull and bronco riding competitions, the animal is ridden "bareback" (i.e., without a saddle). In this respect, the bull or bronco is provided with only a cinch strap which is tightly wrapped about the animal and extends about its back and chest in close proximity to its front legs. The rider, after being seated upon the back of the animal, usually wedges one hand underneath the top of the cinch strap, with the palmar surface of the hand facing upwardly and the cinch strap being tightly grasped thereby. In certain bronco riding competitions, the animal is provided with a saddle which is secured to its back in a conventional manner. When a saddle is utilized, a flank strap is wrapped about the loin of the bronco just forward the rear legs thereof. However, the flank strap is typically not wrapped as tightly around the saddled bronco as the cinch strap. After the rider is seated within the saddle, the flank strap is tightened to cause the animal to start bucking.
Since one of the rider's hands is wedged under the cinch strap, severe injuries most often occur when the rider is thrown from the bucking animal and his or her hand gets caught or trapped under the cinch strap. As will be recognized, the inability of the rider to free his or her hand from the strap after being thrown from the bucking animal often results in the rider being kicked, trampled or dragged by the animal, thus resulting in severe injury or even death. Additionally, because the cinch strap or flank strap remains tightly bound about the animal after the rider has been thrown, the animal can experience extreme distress which can thus cause the animal to suffer severe psychological trauma.
The present invention is intended to substantially reduce occurrences of injury to a rider attributable to his or her hand being caught in a cinch strap after being thrown from a bucking animal as well as reduce the stress a bucking animal experiences as a result of wearing either a cinch or flank strap. In this respect, the present invention comprises a safety release mechanism to which the opposed ends of the cinch or flank straps are attached. When the rider is in the process of being thrown from the bucking animal, a control signal may be sent from a remote, hand-held transmission unit which will facilitate the actuation of the release mechanism in a manner detaching the cinch or flank strap from the animal and, with respect to the cinch strap, allow the rider to escape therefrom.